1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for analyzing and remediating speech pathologies, and, more particularly, to such systems and methods that are computer-based.
2. Description of Related Art
Articulation and phonology disorders are the most common of the speech and language disorders. The prevalence of this disorder is, at the time of writing, approximately 10% of the school-age population. In addressing a perceived articulation issue in a student, speech/language pathologists have in the past used an initial test based upon a series of cards. Each card contains a picture and a word, and the student is asked to pronounce the word associated with the card. The pathologist then determines whether the student""s pronunciation is xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwrong.xe2x80x9d It may be recognized that such a system can be cumbersome, owing to the cards"" having to be placed in a desired order and sorted manually.
An intervention system designed to automate this process, Picture Gallery I, was presented by the owner of the current application. In this system pictures and/or words stored in a database could be sorted using a desired criterion such as a particular phoneme and presented to the student under software control for facilitating the acquisition or remediation of speech or language skills. No analysis or scoring is performed; rather, the product is intended for use by one or more students, either alone or in concert with a pathologist/teacher.
A previously known method of diagnosing articulation or phonology disorders included a xe2x80x9cpencil and paperxe2x80x9d test wherein a student is asked to speak a word. The therapist grades the word subjectively, based upon the therapist""s ear and the local standards.
Other systems known in the art that address speech/language analysis and therapy methodologies includes those of Neuhaus (U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,393), Parry et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,085), UCSF and Rutgers (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,862 and 6,071,123), Neumeyer et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,498), Jenkins et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,927,988 and 6,019,607), Siegel (U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,397), Beard et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,173), Aaron et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,441), Russell et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,679,001 and 5,791,904), Rothenberg (U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,828), Wen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,453), Ezawa et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,194), Sturner et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,327), Shpiro (U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,015), and Siegel (U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,286). Commercial software products in the field of articulation, phonology, or speech sound production include Speech Viewer, Interactive System for Phonological Analysis, Speech Master, Visi-pitch, and Computerized Profiling. Commercial print products include the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (American Guidance Service), Khan-Lewis Test of Phonology (American Guidance Service), Photo Articulation Test (Pro-Ed), and Fisher-Logeman Test of Articulation (Pro-Ed).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for eliciting a desired sound from a user.
It is a further object to provide such a system and method adapted to generate a report.
It is another object to provide a system and method for testing a user""s articulation.
It is an additional object to provide such a system and method that is adapted to analyze a group of problematic sounds.
It is yet a further object to provide such a system and method that recommends a therapeutic program responsive to the analysis.
It is yet another object to provide such a system and method that includes a prescreening feature.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, a first aspect of which comprises a method and system for providing speech therapy. The method comprises the steps of selecting a problem speech sound and searching a database that comprises a plurality of records. Each record comprises a picture and a word associated with the word.
Next a set of records is automatically generated from the plurality of records. Each record contains a word specific to the problem speech""s sound. The set of records is next automatically presented to a user sequentially on a display device, and the user is prompted to pronounce the displayed word. Finally, the pronunciation of each word is scored.
The system of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a processor, an input device in communication with the processor having means for selecting a problem speech sound, and a display device in communication with the processor. The database as described above is resident on the processor, as are software means. The software is adapted to automatically generate a set of records from the plurality of records, with each record containing a word specific to the problem speech sound. The software is also adapted to automatically present at least a portion of each record in the set of records to a user sequentially on a display device; the set of records to a user sequentially on the display device and to prompt the user to pronounce the displayed word. Finally, the software is adapted to receive via the input device a score for the pronunciation of each word.
Another aspect of the present invention is a system and method for analyzing a speech problem by performing a test of articulation, phonology, and sound features that is administered and analyzed with the use of an electronic processor. This method comprises the steps of presenting to a student/user a symbol representative of a word and prompting the user to pronounce the word represented by the symbol into a microphone in signal communication with a processor. Next the therapist enters a phonetic representation of the user pronunciation into the processor. It is then automatically determined whether an error exists in the user pronunciation. If an error exists, the error is automatically categorized.
In an alternate embodiment of the method, the therapist enters the phonetic representation of the user pronunciation into an input and storage device that is not in signal communication with the processor. At a later time the phonetic representation is downloaded into the processor, whereupon the automatic determining and categorizing steps proceed.
The system of the second aspect of the invention evaluates an articulation disorder. The system comprises a processor and an output device and an input device, each in signal communication with the processor.
Software installable on the processor is adapted to present on the output device, typically a display device, although this is not intended as a limitation, a symbol representative of a word. The software then is adapted to prompt a user via the output device to pronounce the word represented by the symbol and to receive from the therapist via the input device a phonetic representation of the user""s pronunciation. The software automatically determines whether an error exists in the user pronunciation, and, if an error exists, automatically categorizes the error.
In the alternate embodiment the system comprises a processor and an output device and a user input device, each in signal communication with the processor. The system further comprises an operator input and storage device that is not in signal communication with the processor, but is connectable thereto for downloading operator-entered data thereinto, the data comprising the phonetic representation.
The software then receives downloaded data from the operator input and storage device the phonetic representation of the user""s pronunciation. The software automatically determines whether an error exists in the user pronunciation, and, if an error exists, automatically categorizes the error.
The system and method of this second feature of the invention may be adapted for presentation of a single word, a plurality of words having a predetermined feature desired to be tested, a pretest for screening for potential articulation disorders, and an analysis of connected speech with the use of a moving picture to elicit a narrative from the student.
The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.